But finally, I’d like to argue that following the news isn’t just a waste of time, it’s actively unhealthy. Edward Tufte notes that when he used to read the New York Times in the morning, it scrambled his brain with so many different topics that he couldn’t get any real intellectual work done the rest of the day.

When to read: morning, evening, eating, walking.

With just a few tweaks to your daily habits, sleep patterns and diet, you can take better care of your brain. You can have sharper thoughts, crystal-clear memories, increase your ability to learn new information and have the capacity to take better control of your moods and emotions.